The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1887-05-12
PEACH TREE CREEK.
Some ReeaneetIons Of PennsylranIa ArtIIleryman.


EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Please allow
me little space TO tell the boys some things
that i remember about the fight at Peach Tree
Creek, July 90 ls64. IL was very hot day.
Our divisi0n-the Second Of the Twentieth
Corps crossed the creek just a little before
noon and took position on a small ridge in a
woods. After we got into position we were
craoTcd 10 throw up breastworks Lieut.. Stokes
brought out an ambulance keg which con-
tanned considerable nerve stimulaut, and says
he, Boys, come aud drink" Now, i would
not like TO leave the impression on the minds
OF my comrades that the boys in the battery
made practice Of drinking; but some way or
other the invitation 10 come and drink F"
seemed 10 have such force, and that keg
seemed TO be possessed with so much magnet
ism, that we were drawn smack around IT, And
drink we did, but not TO excess. If Lieut..
Stokes is in the land Of the living, and this
should come under his eve, / should like 10 say
" Thank you FOR that invitation"
Gen. Geary deplOyed the SD y. J. "Zous
as sklFmishers, and after advancing a short
distance encountered the skirmishers Of the
rebels who had left their brcastworks TO inter-
cept us. OF course the ZOus came TO a very
sudden halt aud about-faced and came back in
a hurry, with the information that there
were something less than million Of rebels
coming. We did not get very much done in
the way Of protection, but as soon as those
Zous got back We began 10 ply our guns
with all the energy and vim that we could
command. don't think the guns Of Knapps
battery and the 18th n. Y, commanded by
Bundy, ever spoke 10 better advantage than
they did on that occasion.
On came the rebels, and at IL we went, firing
nothing longer than 2-second fuse and very few
of them, going TO canister, and the order was
Double charge ~ Double charge we did, as
many Johnny fonnd out to his sorrow.
call to mind very clearly how the balls be-
gan to-come from a direction that suggested
very strongly that the rebels had either broken
through our line just TO our right, or our own
boys had made a mistake and were taking us
Tor the Johnuies. But the sequel proved TO be
that the First Division OF tho Twentieth Corps
commanded by Pap" Williams. had not got
INTO position, and left a vacancy between the
First and Second Divisions. As the rebels
swooped down they wre not slow 10 take
advantage Of the opportunity. But as we had
shout all we could attend TO in our 'front.'
we left the mistake to be corrected by
some of the reserve boys, which they did very
handsomely; for just about the time that the
JOhnnles thought about swinging around and
closing mp on those id batteries" two
regiments came up on a double-quick, formed
just behind the batteries-knapp's and 18th
n. N.-and charged down in the woods. j can
hear the roll Of that musketry yet. Ii looked
as II u was going 20 be a hand toll hand en-
counter, but by the exertions Of those two bat
teres and the hearty support of the 2Sth and
l49th Pa, We were enabled 10 hold the fort and
send those Johnnies back with the sorrowful
tidings that there was good many not able TO
come.
After we had ceased firing, a couple Of sharp
shooters, who had some rails thrown up, using
some Of our boys for targets, were getting
in some very fine work Rut their glory WAS
OF short duration, for no sooner was their loca-
ton aScertaned than a shell from No gun
put stop 10 their foolishness. The next day,
having curiosity TO see what terminated their
shooting so suddenly, some of us strolled in the
direction that the shell bursted, and we found
that the men and the rails had been knocked
into smithereens.-WAsH CHRIsTY. Knappis
Battery, Second Division, Twentieth Corps,
Williamsburg, Pa.